Shoe sewing machine



y 6, 1933. E. E. WINKLEY SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed July 19 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet m W lf ail/ m /M y 6, 1933. E. E. WINKLEY SHOE SEWING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 19 1929 7'5 vision of improved means m thread to be drawn radiall Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE ERASTUS YUIN'KLE'Y,- OI LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED -SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW.

JERSEY snoE SEWING MACHINE Application filed July 19,

.. the means for delivering thread from a 5 source of supply to the various threadhandling instrumentalities of such inachines.

The invention has for its ob'ect the proor enabling from a spool, package, or the like wounc mass compris ing the supply, by the operation of the various thread-handling parts of the machine,

. or through the manipulation of the opera- 15 tor without causin overrunnin of the spool or package with attendant frequent snarling and, breakage of the thread, and Without undesired variations in the tension and interference with the stitching operan tion.

thread necessitates rotation of the wound mass comprising the supply. But in the shoe sewing machine the pull upon the leading end of the thread which draws it off and causes rotation of the supply is not 5 steady, but occurs as a succession of jerks, whether of small amplitude, as caused by the action of the thread-handling devices of the machine, or of greater extent as caused by the operator in drawing thread through the machine before and after stitching a shoe. This widely and rapidly fluctuating demand for thread has hitherto rendered it extremely difficult to provide thread by unwinding it from a rotatable spool or package withont the attendant disadvantages of excessive variations in the tension and of overrunning of the revolving wound mass resulting from its inertia.

The present invention comprises novel and improved means for providing a shoe sewing machinewith thread from a rotatably 1929. Serial No. 379,413.

supported wound supply, and consists in the combination with the stitch-forming devices of such machine, of means for supporting the wound mass of thread with capacity for rotation, and means engaging the thread between the stitch-forming devices and the supply and holding 'aside a bend. of thread to be surrendered while the wound mass is accelerating, under a pull exerted uponthe leading end, in order to equalize the tension at this time. I This engaging means in the particular embodiment herein illustrated is a yielding arm swung about a pivot against the resistance of a spring by the tendency of the thread to pull straight and eliminate the bend as the tension increases, and this arm is made to operate a brake as it swings reversely under the influence of its spring to reestablish its bend in the thread when the tension is again relaxed, the brake acting upon the rotating wound mass of thread or upon its supporting means to retard its rotation. and prevent overrunning. The invention includes also provision against overriinning of the thread-supply when rotated with greater energy by the operator through pulling upon the leading end of the thread, such provision comprising brakingmeans,

either the same referred to above, or sepamass of thread when the treadle occupies its position in which the machine is at rest.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Fig. 1 isa side elevation of a lock stitch sewing machine of'the McKay type with the devices of the invention mounted upon the thread holder bracket affixed to the base of themachine, the par-- ticular machine shown being that fully illustrated and described in the pending lalpplication of Bernard T. Leveque, Serial 0. 169,203 filed February 18, 1927 Figs. 2, 3, and 4c are front, side and planviews respectively of the devices of the invention alone.

The drawings show a form ofMcKay shoe sewing machine, with its characteristic horn 6 supported on the table 8, below which is locatedthe wax pot 10 through which the thread is passed to become impregnated with wax prior to its arrival at the stitch-forming devices which include the feed point, the needle and the other well-known and usual parts, located in the region indicated by the character 12 (Fig. 1). The operation of the stitch-forming and thread-handling instrumentalities is controlled by the foot-operated treadle 18 which when depressed acts through link 20 and appropriate control devices to cause the actuation of these instrumentalities from a suitable source of driving power, such power being unshipped and the operation of the machine suspended when the treadle 18 is again allowed to rise.

The wound mass of thread constituting the supply is in the form of a package 14, located in proximity to the wax pot 10 at a point near the bottom of the machine base 16.

In accordance with the principles of the invention, the package is supported with capacity for rotation upon a hub 22 which is mounted for free rotation by means of ball bearings 24 upon a horizontal spindle 26,

the frictional engagement between the exterior of such hub 22 and the interior of the cop 28 upon which the thread is wound being sufficient to insure against relative movement between the cop and its supporting hub. The hub 22 has at one of its ends an integrally formed wheel 30 having a cylindrical periphery adapted to serve for the purpose of the present invention as a brake drum to which friction is applied to retard the rotation of the hub and its wound mass of thread.

The spindle 26 is fixedly mounted in an axial bore through a sleeve 32, the spindle being fixed therein by a radially directed clamping screw 34, and the opposite end of the spindle is threaded and provided with a nut 36 maintaining the hub 22 securely in place thereupon. The reduced portion of the sleeve 32 is clamped tightly, by means of the bolt 38, within a split sleeve 40 formed at the end of a curved bracket 42 which is attached by means of bolts 44 to the base of the machine. The portion of sleeve 32 which is of larger diameter has an integrally formed arm 46 extending radially therefrom. Within a hole in the extremity of such arm 46 is located a stud 48 which extends in parallel relation to the spindle 26, this stud being secured in place by a nut 50 applied to its reduced screw-threaded extremity and carrying a freely rotatable sleeve 52 having an integrally formed. arm extending radially therefrom which terminates in a cup 54 within which is confined a pad of friction material 56 to engage the cylindrical periphery of the wheel 30. At the opposite end of the sleeve 52 is formed a boss 58 having on its flat face parallel grooves to cooperate with similar grooves in a cover plate 60, applied thereto by a bolt 62, in clamping the two legs of a loop of wire 64 which extends in a direction substantially tangential to the package 14 of thread. A spring 66, coiled about the stud 48, has one of its ends secured in a notch 68 formed in the end of such stud and has its other end engaged with the loop of wire 64, as indicated at 70, in a manner tending to rotate the sleeve 52- around its stud 48 in a direction pressing the friction material 56 against the periphery of the wheel 30.

The sleeve 32 and its integrally formed arm 46 are adjusted angularly within the split sleeve 40' to cause the extremity of the loop of wire 64, which is bent as indicated at 72 to engage and retain the thread, to draw aside a bend of thread out of the normal straightdine lead which the thread would follow in its course from the surface of the package 14 to the tension device 74. By reason of its pivotal mounting wii'i-h capacity for rotation about the axis of the stud 48, the loop of wire 64 acts as an arm yieldingly holding aside the bend of thread just described, which bend amounts to a reserve of thread already drawn oil from the spool and which can be delivered to the thread-handling instrumentalities of the machine in the event of a. quick pull. exerted on the thread by such instrumentalities without the necessity for unwinding the thread from the package 14 at an equivalent high speed. Instead of the pull being transmitted entirely and suddenly to the package 14 with resultant increased tension and possible breakage of the thread while the inertia of the package is being overcome, followed by overrunning and possible tangling of'the thread, the pull upon the thread simply results in a swinging movement of the thread-engagii1g extremity of the arm comprised by the loop of wire 64, with an accompanying slight increaseof the resistance to the movement of the arm 64 produced by the winding-up of spring 66. This yielding and threadwlelivcring movement of the arm 64 delays the transmission to the package 14 of the full force of the pull exerted on the hread long enough to permit the package to accelerate gradually, and avoids running up the ten-- sion in the thread to a dangerous degree, through having to overcome inertia of the wound mass of thread through a pull delivered with the thread extending straight and taut through unyielding guides. That is, during the time when the pull upon the thread is swinging the arm 64 and straightening out the bend formed in the thread by such arm, the pull is being 'tl'ttliSUllljtLt'l to and gradually accelerating the package 14 in its rotation about the spindle 26. At the same time, the first movement of the arms 64 about its axis carries the friction material 56 out of contact with its opposing surface,

of thewheel 30. In this way the device acts to prevent overrunning as soon as the demand for thread is momentarily suspended, and also serves. as a yielding slack-thread controller or take-up by pullin out into taut relation the thread payed 0% from the package while the latter is being brought to rest.

The arrangement .of the parts is such that the end? 2 of the arm 64 goes along with the thread as a pull on the leading end takes thread from the bend and swings the arm about its pivot 48. Through the novel combination of the invention there is substantially no relative movement of the. thread and the end 72 engaged therewith until the inertia of the package 141 has been overcome and it has been started revolving, even though the thread-handling means are taking thread. from the bend. Thus the only material strain on the thread during the moment of starting the package revolving is such as is caused by the inertia of the package and the friction in its bearings, and the yielding arm through spreading out the transmission of the jerk over a greater period of time reduces the tension resultingfrom such inertia and keeps the strain within safe limits, while not contributing-any added resistance itself at this important moment.

Another feature resulting from the novel combination is that the resistance to rotation. of the package offered by the braking effect of the friction material 56 in bearing upon the rim of the wheel 30, is independent and tending to apply the same braking effeet in checking the overrunning of the package as the latter approaches depletion as it does in dealing with a full package.

To provide against overrunning of'the wound mass of thread when accelerated with greater energy by the operators pull uponthe thread to bring freshly-waxed portions thereof to the stitching point, or to remove the shoe from the machine after the stitching, additional braking means is provided in the formof a-lever pivoted at 82- to the end of an arm 84 formed with a portion 85 which encircles the sleeve 32 between the portion of the latter having greater diameter andthe proximate end of the split sleeve 40, the arm 84 being fixed in the desired angular relation by means of a bolt 86 clamping the said portion tightly upon the sleeve 32. The opposite extremity of the lever 80 is connected by a link 88' and collar 90 with the starting treadle 18 of the machine, while at an intermediate point in the length of the lever there is provided frictional material 92 adapted to engage the periphery of the wheel 30 and act as a brake thereupon. 'A spring 94 attached to a pin-96 in the lever 80 and anchored at 98 to a lug upon the arm 84, tends to bring the frictional material 92 into braking engagement with the periphery of wheel 30. The relation of the parts is such that when the treadle 18 is depressed to. start the stitching operation, the'lever 80 is moved in thedirection freeing the frictional material 92 from engagement with the wheel 30 and permitting the package 14 to rotate without restraint from this source. When, however,'the treadle 18 is allowed to rise to suspend the stitching-operation, the spring 94 brings the frictional material 92 into braking engagement with the wheel 30, which, when combined with the braking effect of the frictional material 56 already in action produces a relatively powerful braking effect ample to overcome quickly the continuing rotation ofthe wound mass of thread following an energetic pull upon the thread by the operator.

What is claimed as the invention is 1. Asewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices,.control devices for starting and stopping the machine, means for rotatably supporting a wound mass of thread, and braking means resisting the rotation of such supporting means and controlled both by the tension of the thread, and by the control devices for starting and stopping the machine.

2. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, control devices including a treadle for starting andstopping the machine, means for rotatably supporting a wound mass of thread, including a brakedrum, a brake operably connected to the treadle andengaging the brake-drum when the treadle is in stopping position, a yielding member adapted to be moved by the thread an amount proportionate to the increase in the thread-tension, and a second brake controlled in its engagement of the brake-drum by the movement of such member.

3. A sewing machine having, in'combination, stitch-forming devices, control devices for starting and stopping the machine, rotatable means for supporting a wound mass of thread, braking means resisting the rotation of such supporting means, said breaking means being controlled by the tension of the thread, andauxiliary braking means actuated by the control devices for starting and stopping the machine and ada ited to cooper ate with the first mentioned braking means to prevent over-running of the thread mass when the work is withdrawn from the machine.

1 A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, control devices for starting and stopping the machine, a rotatable spindle to receive a wound mass of thread, a brake drum in connection with such spindle and concentric therewith, braking means adapted to bear upon the brake drum in order to resist the rotation of said spindle, said braking means being controlled by the tension of the thread, auxiliary braking means adapted to bear upon said brake drum actuated by the control devices for starting and stopping the machine and adapted to cooperate with the first mentioned braking means to prevent over-running of the thread mass when the work is withdrawn from the machine.

5. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, control means including a treadle for starting and stopping the machine, a fixed spindle to support in rotatable relation a wound mass of thread to be employed by the stitch-forming devices in forming stitches, a thread engaging member mounted on a fixed part of the machine, a brake drum connected with the mass of thread on the spindle, and braking means operated through a connection with the 'treadle to engage the brake Llllll'l and checkthe rotation of the thread mass.

6. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, means for starting and stopping the machine including a treadle and means acting on a wound mass of thread employed by the stitcl'i-forming devices in forming stitches for preventing over-running following a pull upon the leading end of such thread, comprising a freely rotatable hub upon which the wound mass of thread is fixed, a thread engaging member mounted on a fixed part ofthe machine, a brake drum in connection with the hub, and a bral e operably combined with the treadle and acting upon the: brake drum to resist the rotation of the thread mass when the treadle is moved to stopping position.

7. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-f rming devices, means for 'tatably supporting a wound mass of thread employed by the stitch-forming devices in forming stitches, an elongated resilient arm engaging the thread between the wound mass and the stitch-forming devices and holding aside a bend of the thread, such arm yielding along its length to surrender thread from the bend as the tension is increased, and with its engaging end moving in unison with the thread during such surrendering movement.

8. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, means for rotatably supporting a wound mass of thread, including a surface rotating in unison with such wound mass, an elongated resilient slaclethread controller adapted yieldingly to take up slack thread payed off from the wound mass, and rigidly constructed friction means pivotaliy mounted on the machine, cooperating with such controller to engage the surface rotating in unison with the wound n'iass and to check its rotation.

9. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, means for rotatably supporting a wound mass of thread employed by the stitch-forming devices in forming stitches, an elongated resilient arm engaging the thread between the wound mass and the stitch-forming devices and holding aside a bend of the thread, such arm yielding along its length to surrender thread from the bond as the tension is increased and *ith its engaging end moving in unison with the thread during such surrendering movement, and clamping means for releasably s-aecuring the resilient arm with a suitable portion of its length extending free.

it). A sewing machine having, in combinat i, stitch-twining devices, means for rotntablysupporting a wound mass of thread, including a surface rotating in unison with such wound mass, an elongated resilient slack-tln'ezul controller adapted yieldingly to take up slack thread payed off from the wound mass, and. ri idly constructed friction means pivotally mounted on the machine coo jicrating with such controller to engage the surface rotating in unison with the wound mass and to check its rotation, and clamping means arranged on the friction means for releasably securing the resilient controller with a suitable portion of its length extending tree.

ll. A sewing machine having, in combinaticm, stitch-forming devices, control means for starting and stopping the mawhine, rotatable supporting means for a wound mass of thread, a resilient thread controlle' for holding aside a bend of thread to be employed in forming a seam and for yieldingly surremlerin g thread to the stitchforniing devices, and means operably connectcd with the control means for resisting the rotation of such supporting means.

12. A sewing machine having, in c01nhination, stitch-forming devices, means for starting and stopping the machine including a treadle, means for rotatably supporting a mass of thread employed by the stitch-forming devices in forming stitches, a thread tension device arranged to control the thread supplied from the thread supporting means to the stitch-forming devices, a brake acting on the thread supporting means to resist the movement of the thread therefrom and an arm controlled by the treadle for releasing the brake from the thread supporting means.

13. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices, means for starting and stopping the machine including a treadle, means for rotat-ably supporting a mass of thread employed by the stitch-forming devices in forming stitches, a threadtension device arranged to control the thread supply from the thread supporting means to the stitch-forming devices, braking mech- 'anism acting on the thread supporting means to resist the movement of the thread therefrom, individual arms controlled by the treadle and the tension of the thread between the thread tension device and the thread supporting means for releasing the thread supporting means from the braking mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ERASTUS E. WINKLEY. 

